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Our first cruise and our thoughts on Ventura |
| Reviewed By: Harvey, Cheltenham on 4th Jul 2008 |
| Cruise Line: P&O Cruises |
Times cruised before: 0 |
| Cruise Ship: Ventura |
Sailed:
June,
2008 |
| Destination: Baltic |
Age: 65+ |
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This was our first cruise and we wanted something special as we also renewed our marriage vows after 47 years. We also chose the Baltic as we had never been to that area before. We also chose Freedom Dining.
Our first impression was "Wow!" What a huge ship!. Our balcony suite was near the aft on Deck 11. The cabin was much more spacious that we hoped for and it was well laid out with plenty of room for hanging clothes and storing cases (under the beds). The beds were wonderfully comfortable and overall we were delighted with the suite and indeed with Roxan our stewardess. The cabin was kept beautifully clean. The bathroom was small but functional with a great powerful shower.
Uniformly we found all the crew exceedingly polite, efficient and helpful.
Freedom dining worked for us and we booked tables for 6.30 most evenings. The variety of people we met was an added bonus. Be aware that as with any larger restaurant, you cannot just turn up and expect a seat, but you can book in person or by phone for two days in advance. As I say, it worked very well for us. The 6.30 time was ideal if you wanted to go to the middle of the 3 Arena Theatre presentations per evening as this one fills up very quickly. The quality of the presentations was quite excellent with the Ventura Theatre Company showing their skills and versatility.
We did an excursion at all of the ports save Copenhagen as the Force 7-9 gale force winds prevented us docking. This was an agreement between the Captain and the Harbourmaster. All the remaining ports ( Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallin, Warnemunde and Zeebrugge) were interesting in their various ways. I'm glad we did the excursions but more experienced travellers might like to consider doing their own thing in some of them where the ship is close to the locations.
The Renewal of Vows service was superb with the Captain officiating.
If you do go on the Ventura, go with an open mind. The only disappointment was the regular cruisers who see themselves as professional whingers. Some of the whinges were hilarious ("the Promenade deck was composite material, not wood." "The ship is too big" (didn't the brochure give you a clue?).
The quality and choice of the food was higher than I expected and the drinks prices were very reasonable and certainly not rip-off prices.
Overall we had a great experience.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Freedom Dining in the Cinnamon | | Entertainment |  |
| Ventura Theatre Company and other shows | | Shore Excursions |  |
| | Staff | |
| All of them! | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| | Cabins | |
| Yes by far | | Overall Rating | |
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